What gave you the idea to make the Born Outta Time e-zine?
When covid hit and we went into our first lockdown I thought, 'what better way to fill the extra hours at home than to write about the music I collect and enjoy'.
I had been posting videos on the YouTube 'Vinyl Community' on and off for a few years and had a few record nerd friends that I thought might enjoy an old school ‘zine. I had a small ‘zine back in the mid-80s called The Edge. A small DIY enterprise I banged out on an old clunky typewriter with a few hand drawings. So, I had some limited publishing and writing experience and had always tossed around the idea of doing another ‘zine. I thought 'no time like the present' when I was house bound due to everything being in lockdown.
The name Born Outta Time came to me from a few sources. Foremost was having so much time on my hands. It was also inspired by the fact that I would be pulling records out of my collection from as far back as the 50s, through the 60s garage and British Beat, 70s punk, 80s garage revival, right up to modern day. If my memory serves correctly, I was listening to The New Christs Born Out Of Time single as well. I thought if it was a good enough title for a song written by Rob Younger, then it was good enough for me.
When did you start doing it?
I began messing around with some ideas and layouts in March of 2020. I was initially using Word but that was pretty restrictive on what I could do. I had used Microsoft Publisher in the past so I purchased a yearly subscription to give it a test run. I was up and running from there and the first issue was sent out to a small group of contacts I had made with my YouTube channel. Issue 1 hit their inboxes in April of 2020. I got really good feedback and had some other articles already percolating in my head, so I jumped right into putting together Issue 2.
Where did you find the ideas and records for the articles?
I didn’t really have a gameplan. I wrote about what I knew. The records I reviewed for the 'Vinyl Vault' were all from my collection. I also created the recurring 'Collectors Corner', '7” Salvage' and 'Record Rescue' segments where I would share stories from my years of digging for little gems and what I found out in the wild. The inspiration for the 'Trip Thru Tyme' and 'Random Noises' segments were my outlet to spread the word about bands I enjoyed or had just discovered myself. I was publishing a new issue monthly and each one had its own theme. I became more comfortable and articles like 'Boss Gear – Getting That 60’s Sound' began to rattle around in my noggin’. I began reaching out to bands and started to conduct interviews. This was super exciting for me and I am still in regular contact with Achille Burnett that I interviewed for Issue 13 way back in July, 2021.
How did you do the designs of Born Outta Time?
You have software for that? I scoured the internet for graphics which I would then cut & paste using Publisher. This was my favorite step of putting together each issue. I would get an idea and search for graphics that fit the theme. The covers usually dictated what would wind up in the pages of each issue. My friend Jenny Penuel contributed drawings as did Achille Burnett.
How many back issues have you done?
Born Outta Time had run it’s course by July 2024. When I first started I had no idea I would wind up publishing 36 issues and run over four years. I had a readers list that hit well over 100 that were spread around the world.
Would you agree to share them with your blog's readers?
Of course! All 36 are available for anyone who asks. I will send a zipfile with all the PDF files. It is free! Always was and always will be. Just contact me at hioctanerevival60@gmail.com and I’ll get them heading their way.
Do you have any new ideas for your blog?
To be honest, it is still new to me. I am dusting off the cobwebs and my writing is coming back to me, so that is a good start. I will continue to post the short reviews of new releases I discover as well as old favorites from my collection. I plan on posting more short articles much like I used to do in BOT. I have even dusted off a short piece on Australian 60’s Beat I did for the first issue of the ‘zine and updated it for the blog. Maybe some interviews again but at this point I am not sure. I plan on taking it as it goes and see what happens. I am trying not to repeat what I read on other blogs such as Monster On Your Back, Faster And Louder and a few others I read on a regular basis.
Do you want to keep the blog in the same spirit as the e-zine or do you have different plans?
For the time being I am trying to keep it very simple, so as not to burn out too quickly. Writing about what I know works best. I do like the mix of pulling from my collection and sharing new bands that I come across. The “music across the decades” approach sticks to the initial direction of the ‘zine. It was always my intent to spread the word about bands I thought readers might want to check out for themselves. The blog is just a different vehicle to deliver my ramblings.
So, you collect records from the sixties Garage Punk days?
Oh yeah, guilty as charged! For reference, I have been hooked on sixties garage punk from the day I found a copy of Pebbles Volume 5 at one of my local record stores. It was totally random, blind buying simply because of the subtitle '17 Original 60s Punk Rock Classics'. Sure, I had a copy of Nuggets and a handful of original 45s but I was not prepared for the fuzz coated wallop of the snotty punk that The Plague, The Dirty Wurds, The Tree and The State Of Mind unleashed on me. It was from that day forward that I left behind FM radio rock once and for all.
I have been collecting original 60s forty fives for nearly 45 years now. I am just shy of 500 and am on a mission to hit that mark. Some of my most prized pieces are The Moving Sidewalks' 99th Floor, Zakary Thaks' Bad Girl and The Swamp Rats’ insane demolition of Louie, Louie. I have even managed to track down thirteen monsters that were comped on the essential Back From The Grave series.
I also collect 50s rockabilly and R&B, 60s British Beat, Nederbeat, Eurobeat, 70s punk, power pop and garage revival 45s. I dig old blues like John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Slim Harpo and Billy Boy Arnold. I go through phases and fall down different rabbit holes quite often. I am a record junkie and find that music is the best therapy there is. I still enjoy a Saturday morning dig out in the wild. Nothing better than rescuing a little nugget or two from an uncertain fate in a dusty old box hidden in the back corner of a record store.
Do you read fanzines? Which ones?
Lately, I primarily read like-minded blogs such as Monster On Your Back, The Sacred Monsters, White Trash Soul and Faster & Louder. Back in the pre-internet days I was a regular reader of Maximum RocknRoll, Bucketfull Of Brains, Bad Trip, Kicks and Gearhead. Born Outta Time was heavily influenced by the mailorder catalog that Dave Crider sent out for Estrus Records. Estrus Quarterly was a digest sized rag that was full of cool articles and an insane list of garage records I could order. I really liked the size of it and that was the reason Born Outta Time was an A5 sized reader.
Apart from the blog, how do you enjoy music? Do you go to concerts?
I listen to records nearly every day. I can spend hours with a stack of 45s set in front of me or put on a randomly pulled album from the shelf and see where I wind up. I love live music, especially in a small venue. We have been very lucky these past few months; being able to see The Dead Boys, The Meteors and The Detroit Cobras. There is a small punk scene bubbling up in town and it is exciting to see young bands up there playing their hearts out.
Many thanks, Garner !
Fernand Naudin
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